PS Mommy thread with toddlers 12-36 months

[monkeyprincess]

LC, yes, Ev's daycare (which is owned and operated by my SIL) has a younger toddler room. It's mainly a transition room to get the kids used to eating meals at regular times and taking naps at a set time, so it's kind of a hybrid between the infant room and toddler room. Most of the kids go to that room around 13-14 months, but depending on space and specific kids needs, some don't go over there until about 18 months. I think they all move over to the toddler room by age 2, but I'm not positive on that. Since Ev is not walking yet, he probably won't go to that room for a little while. It helps having my SIL in charge because Ev definitely gets the best teachers and a lot of special attention (not that the other kids don't, but you know what I mean).

 

[amc80]

PSA for all of those out of the US- The Children's Place is offering free international shipping for a limited time.

 

[Kunzite]

This Elliot is really giving us a run for our money. The kid can figure anything out, he's so freaking determined. He has become obsessed with getting on top of the TV shelf (because apparently he needs to be closer ), so he now pushes the coffee table around in order to climb things!! Mind you this is a large, heavy table! Stinker!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, LOL look at your boys on the media stand. Looks like E is showing M how to do everything too. And E's probably getting it from big brother O, a.k.a. the guy who climbed everything already. Thanks for the advice for poops on the potty. We have a potty inset, like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEMIS-NextStep-Elongated-Closed-Front-Toilet-Seat-in-White-1583SLOW-000/202721314?N=bza2.. Our place is too small to have kiddie potties on the floor so I tried to save space and retrofit the adult toilet. Bad move?
So Ethan's feet are very far from the ground. Not sure how I'll get his feet supported since, he's very much in the middle of the seat. I'll have to try to think about this. So far, I keep telling him "Stinky poopy goes in the potty." And he knows if he's poopy or not (but doens't always tell me).

MP, yes, I know what you mean about Ev getting positive attention and care @ his aunt's daycare. It really puts your mind at ease knowing he's so well taken care of. Well, I'm sure he'll be walking soon now that he's "Big Man in the Room" with the infants. LOL

 

[Kunzite]

LC, that's why it's so funny, O didn't do any of these things! It's like E was meant to be the big brother. E has been taking his shirt off a lot lately so now O is doing it too! So backwards Have you checked out any stools to go under the toilet like this one, http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-11450Z-Little-Looster/dp/B00E4UNLQC We just have an Ikea one like this, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80159519/ I'm sure anything would work, our EI guy suggested stacking phone books!

 

[JGator]

Kunzite, Elliot is too cute on the tv stand!! You have a little monkey!

MP, congrats on Ev walking and gaining confidence. K is still in scooting and cruising mode. I think it will be a while before she walks. We have some Pedipeds soft soled shoes and a pair of StrideRite tennis shoes for K so far that she wears. She also has some PediPeds with a hard sole and See Kai Runs but they are too big. I like the Pediped soft soles better than the StrideRites for now, but the Stride Rites are sturdier and probably warmer. Of course, she's not walking so she rarely wears shoes.

LC, good luck with potty training. I will be following along for future pointers.

Jfo, sorry to hear L was sick. I'm happy to hear she is walking, pointing, and loves books. K loves books too.

Monnie, A is adorable in her snow suit!

NEL, that's great that K loves hiking and doesn't mind the cold weather.

AFU, we got back on Monday night. Last Thursday, K woke up vomiting at 6am. So, K and I changed clothes about 4 times before I started using towels. The vomiting stopped after a few hours and then she had diarrhea for 4 days straight. We tried to give her the Swiss version of Pedialyte, but she didn't like the taste. It was difficult getting her to drink anything. K was very clingy and only wanted me for the rest of the trip. The 2nd flight home was a nightmare. K was awake and mostly crying for the first 4 hours of the 8 hour flight from London. She eventually fell asleep on me. It was mortifying. My DH and I took turns with her and spent some time in the airplane restroom with her. Now that we are back, she wakes up at 4am every day! So, hopefully the jet lag will end soon. On the trip K started a few new things like pointing at everything and also shaking her head no. So, if she wants something she will point at it and shake her head no until you get the right thing for her. Or, if she doesn't want to eat/drink, she will shake her head no. I have no idea how she learned that! We are really glad to be home. We came back to a snow/ice storm and then I had to attend 2 all day meetings at the local office so it's been tiring adjusting to the time change and getting back into the swing of things full force at work.

 

[amc80]

JGator- Wow, your trip sounds like it was challenging! Isn't traveling with babies fun?

B started the "no" thing as well. "Okay B, time to brush your teeth." "NO." (While shaking his head.) It's frustrating but still pretty cute.

 

[mayerling]

JGator, sorry to hear about the trip turning sour. Also, the 4am wake-up call when we're in California is what I'm afraid of. 3 more weeks to go.

MP, I still give N bottles too. He only has a bottle at wake-up and bedtime since here the recommendation is for about 16 ounces of milk per day. The rest of the day he drinks water using cups with straws. I'm worried about the bottle thing too, but I'm scared to mess with the routine especially now that we have a trip to California coming up.

Kunzite, what precious babies!

LC, I'm jealous of how you've managed to get E to use the potty. Also, can't believe he's almost 2!

AFU, nothing much to report. It's gotten really cold here and I'm kind of worried about N feeling cold in the night. This morning the thermometer in his room read 14C and his sleepsack of 2.5tog is only designed for temperatures of 16C or above. Other than that, still throwing food during meals, still getting into everything he's not supposed to, still picking up about 5 words a day, etc.

 

[Dandi]

Hi ladies!! Now that Oscar has turned one I can join in, yay! We had his party on Sunday and it was absolutely fantastic. Wednesday night on the eve of his birthday I was a blubbering mess, I can't believe he is such a big boy! I guess this is what makes women go back for more

Here is the birthday boy giving the royal wave, sitting in one of the gazillion toys he got I look really forward to catching up with you all!

 

[mlk]

So it's about time I jumped over here. Hi I "know" so,e of you from the other threads but my little man Lucas turned 1 on the 4th of December. For those of you who don't know our story, we are from Sydney Australia. Lucas is my first and was 2 months premature. He seems to be catching up well though and is crawling, crushing furniture and just generally getting into mischief. He is pretty small still (8.3kg, 75cm) and has a dreadful appetite but other than that he is doing really well.

Looking forward to sharing this next stage with you all. Here are some pics of L. Notice all his bumps and bruises!

P.s Dandi happy belated birthday to Oscar hope you had a wonderful party for him x

 

[amc80]

At what age can kids use pillows? B balls up his blanket and puts it under his head every night. If I move it while he's sleeping he immediately grabs it and puts it back under his head. If it's not under his head then it's under his whole body. I'm pretty sure he's trying to tell me that he wants either a softer bed or at least a pillow. I just don't know when it's safe. Thoughts?

 

[mayerling]

I gave N a pillow at 1 year. He doesn't always use it.

 

[JGator]

Mayerling, K is still doing her 4am wakeups. I hope you have better luck on your trip to the West Coast!

MLK, happy 1st birthday to Lucas! Sounds like you had a great party. He is so handsome and has a beautiful smile.

Dandi, Happy Birthday to Oscar too! Looks like he enjoyed being the center of attention at his party with his royal wave! He's so handsome also - love the blond hair!

AMC, no help for you with the pillow. I am sometimes a human pillow for K though! I often bring her to our bed early in the AM and she scoots all over my body!

AFU, K has been falling asleep a little early every night before we intentionally put her to bed, and then we have the wakeups! She has been getting up and will be up for 30 mins and then falls back asleep and is up again an hour later. I'm hoping this is still jet lag and it will end soon! We have been back for a week. She started pointing at herself when we ask "where is K"? We have made 4 attempts to get a picture with K on Santa's lap this year with no luck - I'm planning to try again this week. We went twice in Switzerland and missed the Santa on the lap hours - we did get a picture of K with Santa behind her. They set up an area where the kid sits down and then, right before the picture is taken Santa opens a door and appears behind the kid in the picture. It was kind of funny, but I guess it helps prevent a lot of crying! We tried the mall on Friday and the line was 1.5 hours long. I had planned to go to a Santa event on Saturday in our county parks, but it was canceled due to weather which we found out after we arrived. So, Santa Quest 2013 - Part 5 is coming this week! Have any of you had better luck with Santa pictures?

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, O always feels like the monkey of the family since I remember him climbing into your changing table etc. LOL that it's E that's doing all the climbing etc.

JGator, Glad you had a good trip to Switzerland. It's such a beautiful country, I'm sure James will want to go back sometime (we went last year Oct). I seriously have no pointers for potty training. Right now I can just get Ethan to pee on the potty no poop yet. But I'm glad that he's OK with it. He has to be in the mood though. I hear that since we're doing cloth diapers it helps motivate them to use the potty, so that might be it too. Sorry you've been 0 for 4 on the Santa pics. We were successful with Santa pics, but it was the classic screaming Santa pic. See below

Mayer, Ethan wears fleece PJs (either footed or with socks) and a sleep sack. We have to tread a fine balance because if he's too hot he gets super fussy. I think he likes winter better than summer because of that.

Dandi, WELCOME OSCAR! Big 1st birthday! I can't believe he's already one!!!

MLK, Happy Birthday Lucas too!!!! Looks like you guys had an adorable party. And bumps and bruises are totally normal as they start walking and running around.

AMC, we give Ethan blankets but no pillow. No advice but when we were in Switzerland, the hotels put blankets and pillows in cribs all the time. Also check if your crib mattress has a infant and toddler side? We flipped Ethan's to a toddler side, and it's usually a little softer.

Below is our screaming Santa pic. DH took him to the main Macy's downtown this past Saturday. JGator, go early, as soon as it opens for the shortest line.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, we haven't attempted the Santa pic with Ev yet. I doubt we will because I'm guessing we'll get the same reaction. Although I do love a good crying on Santa's lap picture.

JGator, I hope the early morning wake-ups are a phase. We had one this morning as well. Somebody woke up at 4:30 and refused to go back to sleep. By the time I took him to daycare at like 7:30, he was definitely ready for a nap.

amc, I think I read somewhere that you can use pillows when they move to a toddler bed. I think there was concern about them getting wedged in the crib. Ev doesn't seem to mind not having any pillows or blankets, so we've been lucky.

MLK, happy birthday to your sweet little guy. He's come a long way!

Dandi, happy birthday to Oscar too! Glad to see you over here.

AFU, we offically have a little walker in our house. He's still very clumsy, but he can walk across a room now and start and stop and sort of turn direction. He's very proud of his achievement, and if one of us forgets to clap and say "Yay!", he makes sure to congratulate himself. I have switched him to Nuk sippy cups for a few of his bottles, but he ends up lay back and tipping it up and drinking it like a bottle anyway, so I'm not sure how much of an improvement that is What else? Oh, he's definitely caught on to the word "No" and shaking his head. If we say "no" to him when he is about to do something naughty, he pretty much mocks us and says "na na na" and sometimes does it anyway. A couple of times he has been about to touch something he shouldn't but stops himself and says "no" or shakes his head. I have a feeling he is going to be a stubborn toddler, as he is already having temper tantrums occassionally.

 

[amc80]

I think we might give B a toddler pillow and see how that goes. Apparently they are pretty small and flat so not a whole lot of fluff to get caught up in. I figure it's probably safer than him using a blanket since that sometimes gets in front of his face and around his head.

Love these santa pics. I really wanted to take B to the mall to get his done but DH was against it ("You'll traumatize him for life!"). But we were at Scheels and there was a Santa with only a few kids in line, so we did it. This is after I jumped in the pic in an attempt to hold him down. What's funny is B has very little stranger anxiety, so I was surprised at how much he hated Santa.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Question: What do you all do for daycare teachers for the holidays/end of the year? I was thinking about giving them cards with cash or gift cards? Is that pretty standard?

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, if I were you, I'd do gift cards over cash. I dunno, it might be frowned upon to give cash. But amazon, Starbucks or Target I'm sure will go over well. I'll got some cashmere gloves (cheap on Last Call by Neiman Marcus) and will get a breakfast tray all the toddler/infant teachers.

AMC, I can't believe B was unhappy with Santa. He's the sweetest happy go luckiest kid ever. I love finding one-off businesses that have Santa. Way better than waiting in line @ the mall or Macys. Less germs too.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, yeah, I think we either going to do Visa giftcards or gift cards to the outdoor shopping center down the street from the daycare. I wanted to do something more personal, but I don't know the ladies very well at all since DH does 90% of the drop-offs and pick-ups, and I figure they are going to get a ton of baked goods and trinkets. Your idea sounds great though!

I've been scrambling to order gifts with Amazon prime because we are leaving town on Saturday, and I waited until the last minute. We are really trying to simplify things as far as exchanging gifts because it all gets to be too much, and I feel like we sometimes just buy to buy. I'm much more excited just to be able to spend time with my family, and thankfully, the rest of my family feels the same way. Ev gets so much stuff from my MIL and other family members that we are only giving him a few small things like books and letter and number toys. I'm such a Grinch mommy!

 

[amc80]

LC- I know! I was shocked he didn't like Santa. He likes everyone. He even let the waiter on our cruise pick him up to dance.

I got B's "teacher" a box of chocolates. Sort of lame but he's only been there a month. Had he still been at his old day care I would have gotten Starbucks gift cards for the two main teachers.

Are there any diapers stronger than overnight diapers? B has been peeing through those. Advice?

 

[JGator]

AMC, I used Bum Genius cloth diaper covers over disposable diapers with K for a few months since she was leaking every night. That solved it, and I eventually stopped using them when she stopped drinking multiple bottles over night. She is back to 1.5 bottles at night now so we've been lucky not to have any leaks! Cute picture of B, and I love your expression!

LC, cute picture of Ethan, and I love his outfit! I am planning to hit the mall during the day tomorrow if I can duck out of work for a bit.

MP, great news on Ev walking! I'm with you on just getting around to my holiday shopping online after being away. So far, I have ordered K two pairs of shoes, and I ordered gifts for my sister's 5 kids.

AFU, not much new here. K is waking up a lot at night. I really don't know where to start. We have so many bad habits to work on. She falls asleep with her bottle - then I transfer her to the crib. She gets up numerous times and wants a bottle 1-2 times a night. My DH can't go in or she has an anxiety attack! And, I often bring her to our bed early in the AM because I'm tired of going in every hour at a certain point! I feel like we have regressed so much. And, did I mention our nanny is going on vacation for 2.5 weeks? My mom is coming for part of the time, but we will be taking next week off, and I'm not looking forward to dealing with K's naps because the nanny is so much better at getting K to sleep without a bottle/rocking combo!

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, argh, I'm sorry K is still giving you such a rough time at night. I wish I had some advice for you, but we also have some of those same bad habits in our house like not being able to put him in the crib awake and still using bottles. I think you just really have to do what works for you. We're traveling next week, and I'm sure we are going to have some struggles there and when we get back as well.

amc, did you switch to that home daycare you were talking about awhile back? How's that going? Yeah, I wouldn't expect to have to give a very extravagant gift after just one month at a new place. The huggies overnites usually work for us. He still once in awhile wets through his diaper right before he gets up in the morning (that actually happened this morning). Do you think he needs to move up a size?

I wanted to attach a picture of our little walker. I accidentally photobombed by hovering in the background, but he's still a little too unsteady to not have a spotter.

 

[amc80]

amc, did you switch to that home daycare you were talking about awhile back? How's that going? Yeah, I wouldn't expect to have to give a very extravagant gift after just one month at a new place. The huggies overnites usually work for us. He still once in awhile wets through his diaper right before he gets up in the morning (that actually happened this morning). Do you think he needs to move up a size?

Yes! It's working out great. He loves it. When I drop him off there's no crying...he walks right over to the teacher, smiles, and waves. He takes 2-2.5 hour naps every day which means he's sleeping better at night. We are so happy with the move.

This morning he woke up for a bottle (well, sippy) around 5. His diaper must have been full already, because he was totally soaked. He is already in size 5 and I think those are 27lbs+, and he's just at 30lbs, so I can't imagine it's a size issue. Who knows. He is generally okay as long as he sleeps all night. It's the nights where he wakes up and has something to drink that it's a problem. Luckily, he's sleeping through the night more often than not

AMC, I used Bum Genius cloth diaper covers over disposable diapers with K for a few months since she was leaking every night.

Hmm, that's not a bad idea. I will have to look into that.

 

[monarch64]

Oh wow, look at all the adorable pictures!!!

We have a soaked kiddo every time she is given water or milk at bedtime. I'm still working on getting her to give up that nighttime bottle, and have at least reduced the amount in said container by half. I don't think I'd be able to sleep knowing that she is laying there soaked all night even with a cloth shell over her disposable diaper so that's not an option for me. I usually try to preemptively change her between 12 and 2 a.m. That diaper will be really wet but won't have leaked. If I left it til morning then it would be soaked pj's and sheets. So, until I get her weaned off the night bottle I am changing her once around midnight and that's what works for us at the moment.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Not enough time to respond individually because I'm at work and trying to wrap everything up before holiday vacations start.

amc, interested to hear how the toddler pillow goes. I just looked up the same thing last week because K balls up her blanket, too. I am going to order one so she has it when we get back from vacation.

I wouldn't give a big gift to your daycare guy since you've been there a month. We do gift certificates for ours--I wanted to do something more thoughtful this year, but honestly I just don't have time to give it thought. At least I know what restaurants ours likes, so I get gift certificates there. And I'm so glad to hear you're loving the new place!

Sorry about the leaky diapers!

MP, look at Ev go!!

Love seeing pics of all the new faces!!

To all of those whose kids hate Santa--I sympathize. K is terrified of Santa. I feel like we're traumatizing her by having her sit on his lap (picture below).

We leave for the Midwest this weekend and K woke up with a really runny nose. She was sick last year, too. My goal is to let go and not stress about anything that is out of my hands and this is, so we're just going to have to roll with it.

 

[JGator]

MP, Ev looks so proud of himself!

NEL, sorry that K is terrified of Santa. I hope the runny nose clears up quickly before your trip.

AFU, there was a very short line for Santa at 10am at the mall today. I am sitting next to K, and she's mostly sitting on my lap. Otherwise, she would not have been very happy on Santa's lap.

 

[Dandi]

Adorable Santa pics everyone!! I love Santa pictures with crying kids in them, for some reason I find them so funny! Oscar's was no different. I sat on Santa's knee with his and it was all smiles and laughter... as soon as I got up and left him on Santa's knee on his own, the tears started! The girl taking the photos managed to snag one where he didn't look too terrified

 

[monkeyprincess]

Well, a little late now, but we did end up going to a Santa's workshop place with my nieces and nephews last weekend, so we got the obligatory screaming baby on Santa's lap picture. The Santa was kind of weird, so I don't blame him! Poor guy was such a little cling-on the whole time we were away. He would be really playful and friendly and walk up to everyone, but as soon as someone other than me tried to pick him up, he would try to squirm away or cry and reach for me. DH was getting frustrated because he definitely preferred me over him the whole time. I think DH somehow thinks I'm causing it by babying him, but I honestly don't know what to do in that situation. It seems silly to let him cry and carry on in someone else's arms when he instantly stops crying when I take him. Oh well, I'm sure it's just a phase. His bottom incisors just broke through, and he also has a cold, so I'm guess both of those things contributed. Other than that, he had so much fun playing with his cousins. I have a 7 month old niece, and Ev was constantly hugging her and leaning his head in against or patting her head. I think he thought she was a pet or a toy or something

Hope you all had a nice holiday and continue to have a great rest of the year!

 

[mayerling]

Happy holidays, everyone!

For those who said that food-throwing is just a phase, when does it pass? N is almost 18 months and he still throws food all the time - especially when he's bored. Did you do something about it or did it just phase out on its own?

 

[pancake]

Hi everyone, long time no update! Hope you have all had a happyh and safe holiday season. Ours was pretty crazy as my ILs going a bit nuts at Christmas time and it becomes a bit tense and stressful before the day! Fortunately we survived intact (just) and are now back home.

S is now 22 months and we are having a really wonderful time! At the moment we are TTing, just started today and are hoping to have it "done for now" by the end of the week - not tackling sleep TTing yet! She can't yet recognise the urge for #1s, but that's what TT is all about! She is still a chatterbox as ever and is speaking in 6-7 word sentences now - has recently begun to join her words together with "and", "or", "in the", "of the", "to", etc, so is sounding like a little big person, if that makes sense! She's still bilingual and is beginning to translate between me and DH, which is pretty cute (esp as I obviously speak both languages!). Counts to 15, can recognise her name and a few other words, knows her colours, shapes, and is currently fascinated with sticker books, planes/helicopters/hot air balloons, emergency vehicles (esp ambulances and fire trucks), animals (jungle animals are her fave at the moment), insects. We now have a slide set, a water table, and a few other toys set up for her outside and whilst our summer has been slow to get started in terms of heating up (coldest early summer in years!), she's starting to get some good mileage.

Need to start thinking about her 2nd birthday party...

In other news, I've just found out that I'm pregnant (only 4 weeks, so still guarded in our excitement!). If this little one sticks - and I hope hope HOPE it does! - then I'll be due in early September, which would be great timing-wise. It will mean that I'll be on mat leave when S starts preschool in February 2015 (!).